The long-simmering tension between Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak will serve as one of the big story drivers in the upcoming, third season of Arrow, showrunner Greg Berlanti revealed in an interview.

“They’re real characters to us, and they had that conversation on the beach, and they had that conversation in the house to help capture Slade,” Berlanti told TVLine. “So the question you have to ask is: Does Oliver have real, genuine emotions for her? And how aware is he of that? And how aware does he make her of that? That is an active part of the season this year.”

The official blurb for Arrow Season Three revealed that Oliver Queen will ask Felicity out on a date, presumably in the season premiere based on the phrasing. It sounds, though, like their relationship is more or less doomed from the start as another villain from Oliver's past distracts him and demands that the Arrow take priority over his personal life.

That same story also suggested that the flashback device wouldn't be limited to Oliver and might be used to illuminate the background of other characters -- including, presumably, the villains, Diggle and Felicity. Much of her background is unknown and showrunners teased reporters at a number of episode roundtables last year that sooner or later we would start learning about her past and how it drives her now.

“There’s some backstory stuff that’s going to come out for some of the other characters,” Berlanti said.